Soften My Hard Heart Sequel to She must be new
by Suni-Dlight
Summary: Trinity Michelle Black is her difinetly her mother and father's daughter. Follow her travels after one horrible event changes her life for the times to come.
1. Chapter 1 Tragedy

It was going on eleven to midnight when a young girl of about seventeen crashed through a bush and fell to the floor in heap.

_Keep going!_

She jumped to her feet and continued to run. She couldn't be that far away could she? They hadn't moved that far away, had she? Her mother said it was near.

She tasted blood and realized that she bit her cheek when she fell. She stopped running for a minute and spit out the blood, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. She cared not for her appearance at the moment, considering that she looked as if she had just gone through Hell. Her clothes where torn and ripped and her long black hair was matted.

She tripped once more and fell to her knees. She could feel to the tears coming to her eyes and she bit them back. She was too strong to cry.

She got up again, but continued at a slower pace, believing that she was somewhat safe now.

The poor girl had nothing to her name at that moment. All her clothes, her magical supplies, everything was gone and she felt alone and lost. Where on earth was this place her mother was sending her to?

Just as that thought came to her, she could see the corner of a house's roof from where she was standing. She ran towards it, her heart pounding against her chest. She was going to make it. She was going to be okay.

She slowed as she reached a fence. She looked around for some sign to let her know she had reached the right place. Soon, she spotted a small sign that read "The Burrow" on it. The house was oddly shaped and yet, it gave her peace of mind. She remembered this place from when she was a small child.

Quietly, she opened the gate in the fence and walked towards there front door. She hesitated before knocking. Her knock sounded as if it resonated through house, ominous and alarming.

After about two minutes, the door was wrenched open and a wand was in her face. . . . But the girl didn't move. She barely even flinched.

"Who are you?" A balding red man asked.

"Mr. Weasley?" the girl said.

Mr. Weasley lowered his wand a fraction. "Yes?"

"Sorry to wake you. Is it all right if I come in?"

Mr. Weasley's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

"Trinity. Trinity Michelle Black."

Mr. Weasley's wand dropped down, just like his mouth. "Trinity? Little Trinity?"

Trinity nodded and the man stepped aside to let her in. Trinity sat down at the kitchen table, clasping her hands in front of her as Mr. Weasley eyed her warily.

"Arthur? Who was –?" The plump woman on the stairs stopped talking when Trinity turned around. Tears came to her eyes and she began to run towards her but Mr. Weasley held up his hand to stop her.

He stepped over to one of the many cabinets in the kitchen and pulled out a small vile. "Safety precautions," he said handing the vile to her.

"Of course," she said, taking it from him. Quickly she downed the small amount of liquid and then looked back at Mr. Weasley.

"Are you really Trinity Michelle Black?"

"Yes."

A small smile came to his face and he nodded his head. A second later, Mrs. Weasley's arms were pulling the girl to her feet, hugging her hard. Trinity only listened faintly as Mrs. Weasley went on about how they never contacted them and how glad she was to see her. And then for the big question.

"What brings you here, dear?"

"More likely," Mr. Weasley said, "what brings you hear at one in the morning?"

"Dear you look a mess!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed suddenly. "What happened to you darling? Where's your mother?"

A hard realization hit the woman and she was forced to sit down for a moment.

The answer, Trinity knew, was all in her harden eyes. Multi-colored eyes that had seen far too much in one night to be soften again easily.

"Molly?" Mr. Weasley asked. "What's wrong, dear?"

Mrs. Weasley shook her head before looking back up at Trinity. "Where's your mother dear?" she said again, softer.

Trinity looked down at her dirty hands. Mrs. Weasley gave a soft sob and brought her hands up to her mouth. Mr. Weasley sat down in another chair, his face gone so pale. "No," he whispered. "Not – not Taylor Black. Never Taylor Black."

It was this time. Horribly so, not even the strong-willed woman Trinity knew as her mother could escape Avada Kedavra. Trinity looked up at the Weasleys. "I'm tired," was all she could manage to say.

"Of course, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, trying to wipe her tears. "You – you can sleep in Ginny's room."

Trinity followed Mrs. Weasley up the stairs and into a room where Mrs. Weasley conjured up a bed to squeeze in between the two that were already there, holding sleeping figures. Sleeping figures that were no doubt awake by now.

Trinity laid down in the bed in the clothes she was wearing, the realization and the stress finally catching up with her body. She choked back the tears that once again came to her eyes and tried to go to sleep, her dreams full of visions of death and destruction.


	2. Chapter 2 Nightmares

_Taylor Trinket Black ran up the stairs, towards her daughter's room. Her heart beat frantically and her mind ran through twenty billion different actions and consequences. It was almost midnight and Trinity was no doubt sleep. She had to get the girl out of there._

_She burst through the door of Trinity's room, even though she knew her daughter complained often for some privacy. _

"_Mom!" Trinity had shouted in annoyance and fear. What had she done to warrant this breech in her privacy? "Mom, what's going –?"_

"_No time," Taylor said, grabbing her hand and Trinity's wand and pulling her out of the bed. _

_Taylor dragged her down the stairs and towards their back door, pulling a black cloak out of the hallway closet. She quickly fastened it around Trinity's neck and pulled the hood up and over her head and shoved the girl's wand into her hand._

"_Mom, what are you doing?"_

"_Listen to me, Trinity, listen well. I want you to go through this forest to the other side. There will be a house, The Burrow. There will be people there, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who can help you. Ask them to help you find your dad.. I want you to run, Trinity. I want you to run and keep running until you get there. Don't look back, don't come back just keep running."_

_From where they were standing, Trinity and Taylor could hear the front door burst open. Taylor pushed Trinity out of the back door._

"_Mom --?" _

"_Keep running, honey. I love you." Taylor pulled out her own wand and closed the door, leaving Trinity standing outside in her pajamas and a cloak._

_Trinity opened the door again, determined to get some answers. She heard voices as she headed down the hallway, one was her mother and the other was a voice that was some how muffled._

_Trinity peeked around the corner. Her mother stood, wand held up against a person dressed in black robes with a hood over his head._

"_Where's the girl?" he said. He sounded agitated, signifying that he had asked that question already and was desperate for an answer._

"_She's not here. You won't find her either."_

"_Don't be foolish, woman. By protecting her, you only make this worse for the both of you. Now, tell me where she is!"_

"_Never."_

_The man, obviously reaching the end of his patience, held up his wand. "I warned you."_

_Trinity watched in shock as her mother lowered her own wand. "It doesn't matter. My daughter is safe from the likes of you and your idiotic 'Dark Lord'."_

"_Avada Kedavra!" _

_It had been unexpected._

_Trinity was frozen in shock._

_Another masked man appeared next to her mother's body. "Where's the girl?" he asked._

"_I think she's hiding in the house," the first man said, spitting on Taylor's body. "Stupid wench wouldn't tell me."_

_The second man grinned wickedly. "Only one way to get her out then."_

_The first man grinned too. "Right."_

_They walked back towards the front door._

_Trinity tried to shake herself from her stupor, backing up slowly from her mother's body. Quickly she turned and raced to the back door, flinging it open._

_And then they blew up her house. _

_Trinity was flung against a tree, a high-pitched scream tearing itself from her throat._

_For a minute, she lay stunned on the ground, until she heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her._

_Then she hopped to her feet and did as her mother had last requested._

Trinity sat up quickly. A dream. Had it all been a dream?

She took a quick glance around the room before flinging herself backward on the pillow. She was in Ginny's room still. Her clothes were still burnt from the explosion. Her feet still scratched and dirty from running through the forest. The taste of blood still in her mouth from biting her tongue. And there was still the realization that her mother, her best friend, her teacher, her role model, was gone.

Unshed tears stung her eyes again but she refused to let them fall, ever. It wouldn't do her any good to cry. She was too strong for that. She was Sirius and Taylor Black's daughter.

Yes, her mother had finally told her who her father was when she had turned thirteen and Sirius had escaped from Azkaban. Trinity had met him once that year. It had been awkward, yet comforting to find out who her father was. And she wasn't the least bit a shamed of him. In fact, she was proud. Proud that her father didn't actually murder anyone, never would have thought of it. Proud that he would try to capture his best friends' murder, even if it all backfired.

Now, she needed to find him. . . . And unfortunately break the awful news to him. Surely, the couple hadn't seen each other since that year she, herself, had met him and to find out that the other had died so suddenly before they got a chance to see each other again would be heartbreaking.

Trinity got out of bed and noticed a note on top of some clothes.

_Hello,_

_We woke up this morning to find you in the room, but it didn't look as if you had anything. Mrs. Weasley said it would be good if I gave you some of my clothes since you look to be about the same size as me. So, until you can get some clothes of your own, you can wear whatever clothes of mine that you want. We're all downstairs when you feel like coming down there. Can't wait to meet you._

_Sincerely, Hermione_

_P.S. If you leave this room, take a left and the shower is the second door on the right._

Trinity picked up the clothes and headed in the direction of the bathroom. As she headed out Ginny's door, she saw a calendar.

Wincing, she left the room.

It was August 1st

She was officially seventeen and of age.

And her mother wasn't here to celebrate it with her.


	3. Chapter 3 Ronald Weasley

Trinity finished cleaning herself and she walked downstairs, brushing her long black hair. She could hear happy voices as she approached the kitchen, voices untainted with pain and devastation.

_The witch was marred by the death of her beloved Muggle husband._

_She vowed never again, to let that love be replaced in her heart._

_So she locked up her love, her pain, her emotions,_

_This way, no one would ever see her true feelings._

_All they would see would be a strong woman, who was not affected by pain._

Trinity remembered reading that passage from a book a while ago. It had touched her then, made her cry sad tears for the witch who could feel nothing. But now, she knew how that witch felt, wanting to not feel the pain of losing someone you were so close to, the betrayel of being left behind. Before she stepped into the kitchen, Trinity locked up her emotions and put on a straight face, a face that showed no pain and no fear. Nothing, no one, would ever replace her mother's love in her heart

Trinity entered the kitchen to silence. Two red-headed kids, a black haired boy, and a brunette, all looking to be around the same age as her, stared at her with interest, yet no one seemed able to speak a word. It was the red-headed boy who caught Trinity's eyes the most, the way he looked at her as if she were something spectacular. It was uncomfortable, the way he stared.

Thankfully, Mrs. Weasley broke the silence.

"Good morning, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "Did you sleep well? How are you feeling?"

Trinity gave a shrug to both questions and sat down at the table across from the red-headed boy.

Mrs. Weasley tried again. "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"

Trinity decided to satisfy her need for conversation. "No thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

Mrs. Weasley seemed delighted that the girl still had a voice. Mr. Weasley came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Kids, this is Trinity Black, she'll be staying with us for a while."

The atmosphere seemed to tense a bit at the sound of her last name. Had Mr. and Mrs. Weasley already told them about her mom?

The red-headed boy was the first to break the silence. He leaned across the table and held out his hand. "Ron Weasley," he said, giving her a small smile.

"Ginny Weasley," said the red-headed girl.

"Hermione Granger," said the brunette.

"Harry Potter," the black-haired boy said.

Trinity shook hands with all of them polietely. "It's nice to meet you all. . . . But, really, Mr. Weasley, I can't stay. My mom said that you could probably tell me where I could find Sirius Black."

No one seemed to want to look at her after she had spoken. Trinity looked around the kitchen, confused. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Trinity dear," Mrs. Weasley said, bending down so that she could look her straight into the eyes. "This might be hard for you to here, but . . . Sirius Black – he – he – passed away in the middle of last year."

Trinity stared at Mrs. Weasley for a minute before looking at her hands. "Oh," she said.

"I'm terribly sorry, dear," Mrs. Weasley said.

Trinity nodded. "Could you excuse me?" she said, getting up.

She left the room and went out the door that led to their backyard. She closed the door behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist.

Wonderful. Just magnificently perfect.

In two minutes, her dream of meeting with Sirius again and being in his reasurring arms had been dashed.

She sat down cross-legged in the middle of the garden, trying to calm her rapid thoughts. They were starting to make her head hurt.

"Hey."

Trinity looked over her shoulder to see Ron Weasley coming over to her. She had sort of wanted to be alone but . . . the idea of another presence was somewhat comforting.

"Mind if I sit here?" Ron asked.

Trinity shook her head and he sat down, leaning back on his hands. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Trinity said, not being able to resist. "I just found out I'm an orphan, but I'm perfectly fine."

"You know, Harry's been an orphan his whole life."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"A little, I guess, I mean, you have to remember the fact that you got to spend seventeen years wth your mom, at least. And that's a whole lot better than none."

Trinity had to admit he was right, no matter how much she hated it. She was grateful for all the time she had with her mother and the couple of hours she had with Sirius. Nothing could take those wonderful memories from her.

She took another tack though. "How did you know I was seventeen?"

"Just one of those little things I remembered from when we were little. Your birthday's today, too."

Trinity felt a small smile on her face. They had been friends when they were little, she remembered now. Friends until she was about five, when she and her mother had moved. "We used to play with little toy brooms here in the garden," she said.

"Yeah, and I used to fall off my broom all the time and you would fall off yours to make Fred and George stop laughing at me."

Trinity grinned and a small laugh came from her mouth, but she quickly wiped it away.

"Whoa," Ron said, sitting up.

"What?" Trinity asked looking at him.

"You just changed incredibly fast."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, one minute, you looked happy and then the next, you were indifferente. You did the same thing inside when Mom told you about Sirius. I thought for a minute you were going to cry and then all you said was 'oh'."

"What's your point?"

"Just that, if I had found out my dad was . . . gone, I'd probably cry."

"Crying isn't going to help the situation."

"Yeah, but it might make you cfeel a little better."

"Wouldn't help."

"Wouldn't hurt."

Trinity shrugged. Ronald Weasley was a bit annoying but right. Her mother always said that crying cleanses the heart. But Trinity always considered it as a sign of weakness.

For some reason though, talking to Ron had made her feel a little better but it had made her a bit wary. He had made her laugh to easily. She'd have to keep her guard up around him.

"So . . . what does your mom have to eat?" Trinity asked.

Ron grinned, a charming grin that took up half his face. "Loads of stuff, come on."

He held out his hand to her and picked her up. Then he led her inside, telling her about all the different kind of food they had.

This was going to be an interesting month.


	4. Chapter 4 Ministry of Magic

Trinity spent the next couple of days in Diagon Alley with Hermione and Ginny, shopping for new clothes. She had found the key to the Black vault in her cloak pocket. Good ol' mom.

She had to admit she was having fun, seeing as how the only other female she had ever hung out with was her mother. It might not have seemed like she was having fun, which Ginny and Hermione pointed out, but she was actually having the time of her life.

She was glad she decided to bring Ginny and Hermione along with her. They had an incredibly decent sense of fashion. Some of the stuff Trinity didn't like, like all the bright colors they picked out, she simple looked for an alternative.

By the end of Trinity's three day shopping spree, she had twenty-three bags of clothes from various stores and a trunk for everything to go in. Mrs. Weasley was happy they bought the trunk because, apparently, they were going to Hogwarts this year. A list of all her other things to get would come later.

Trinity was a bit more than anxious for the school to start. She had always been home-schooled. The new environment, far enough away from home, would give her the strength to come back.

Trinity went out to the garden, where she normally went for some privacy, and sat down among the flowers, looking out for gnomes.

It was peaceful outside in Mrs. Weasley's garden. Away from all the chaos and destruction of the War. The war everyone, especially Harry, was losing weight over.

And, somehow, she was somewhere in the middle of all this.

She had figured that out when the men came looking for her.

'Where is the girl?'

Angry and desperate, the voice rushed through her memory.

Someone really wanted her dead and in a hurry.

But why?

"Hey."

Trinity opened her eyes to see Ronald Weasley coming towards her once again. He did that often. For the first two days, it was rather annoying, him always talking while she was just trying to get solitude. But now . . . she didn't seem to mind so much. She simply kept her eyes closed and responded to his many questions. But she also listened. She rather liked his many interesting stories.

He sat down next to her and began to tell her about his fifth year. He had already told her about his previous four years, where were wild enough. It seemed like adventures were always thrown at him and his friends. He was used to this kind of stuff. This was only her first time.

"Fred and George never changed, did they," she said, when he told her about the swamp they made in the hall.

Ron chuckled quietly. "Never."

It was when Ron begin to describe their escapades at the Ministry of Magic that Trinity kept completely silent, know that this was what she had been waiting for.

"Is that where he died?" she asked when Ron had concluded with waking up in the hospital with scars on his arms.

Ron was silent for a minute before he said, "Yeah."

Trinity opened her eyes then and looked at him. "How?"

"I'm not exactly sure. Harry was one of the only ones who saw what happened and he won't really talk about it. Remus mentioned something about a veil but that was about it."

"Oh."

They were silent, Ron tapping his fingers on his shins and Trinity counting the flowers, both acting extremely awkward.

"Do you want me to take you there?" Ron asked, suddenly.

"Take me were?"

"To where Sirius . . . died."

"Can you?"

"Yeah, take my hand."

Trinity hesitated and then Took Ron's hand. She felt the unnatural sensation of Disapparating as they disappeared from the garden.

When Trinity opened her eyes again, she was standing in a dark room, filled with large jars with brains in them.

Ron put a finger to his lips and then began to lead her though the room to the door next to it. Quickly and quietly, he pushed opened the door and pulled her through.

Trinity could hear voices as she entered the room and was sure that they'd be in trouble for sneaking in there but there was no one there. Just a whole but of stone seats and a big veil at the bottom.

The voice drifted up to Trinity, pulling her towards them. She walked slowly and carefully down the steps to the veil, where she sat down, just inches from it.

The voices were louder, more persistent, pleading for help. But, through the cries, she heard two distinct voices. Neither was crying or sounding as if they needed help. Instead, they were _laughing._

Trinity's vision blurred and for a minute, she saw nothing but a black abyss. But then, two figures appeared, indistinct. All Trinity could tell was that they were holding each other and they were . . . happy. Despite all the pain around them, they were the only ones enjoying each other's company.

The two figures turned towards Trinity at once and waved, coming closer as they did.

She saw their faces just before Ron shook her from her trance.

"Trinity?" he said, shaking her gently. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

She looked up at him to see a look of shock and somewhat relief in his eyes. "You're crying."

Trinity lifted her hand to her face and brushed her fingertips across her cheek. So she was. Part of the hardcore shell she had put on her heart had broken off and let her cry.

But for that moment, she didn't care.

Her mom and dad were happy, wherever they were.

And that was all that mattered.


	5. Chapter 5 Godfather

Trinity sat at the kitchen table, waiting. Mrs. Weasley had told her that she would be getting a visitor at around noon.

It was eleven fifty-five.

Trinity found herself being somewhat nervous, though she refused to show it. Who was this 'mystery' guest? What did he want to see her for?

At exactly noon, there was a knock on the door of the burrow. Mrs. Weasley went to it cautiously and said, "Password?"

"Lemon Drops," came a man's voice through the door.

Mrs. Weasley smiled and opened the door.

Trinity stood as the somewhat scruffy man approached her. His robes were torn and ragged and it looked as if he hadn't been able to shave for a couple of days. The only bright things about him were his brown eyes, which opened wide in amazement at the sight of Trinity. He looked at Mrs. Weasley, who gave him a slight nod, a small smile on her face.

He approached Trinity, looking on the verge of tears and debating on whether to give her a hug or simply shake her hand.

He opted for the handshake, holding out his trembling hand to her. "Hello, Trinity. I'm Remus Lupin."

Trinity shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lupin."

Lupin laughed. "Please, just call me Remus. . . . Shall we sit?"

Remus sat across from Trinity, still staring at her in amazement. "You're a spitting image of your mother," he said.

Trinity gave him a polite smile that dropped almost instantly.

Remus coughed a little and tried to continue, "I'm really sorry for your lose."

"Thank you."

Another cough. "I was good friends with both your parents in Hogwarts."

Trinity did perk up a little bit at this. Her mother had never mentioned anything about school. "Were she and my dad always so disgustingly lovey-dovey?" she asked, remembering how they hardly left each other's side the summer Sirius broke out.

Remus laughed. "Oh no, on the contrary, they hated each other."

"Really? Well, how'd they end up together?"

"Trust me, it was a rather annoying process. Our last year at Hogwarts. I'll never forget that. . . ."

Trinity listened intently as Remus told her the story. How Sirius had always made fun of Taylor until the last year when Taylor came back looking stunning. This information surprised Trinity. She could never picture her mother with matted hair and glasses. It was too surreal.

The most surprising information was the fact that both her mother and father had been Animagus. Her mother had been a fox and her father, a dog. What a weird combination.

"So that's how he got to her, then? Turning into a dog every night?" Trinity asked.

"Yep and it worked until she found him out but then she had been exposed too," Remus said, chuckling. "It was rather amusing."

"Then what happened?"

"Well, Sirius and Taylor end up sort of forming a half-way relationship and your mother even asked him to the Christmas Ball."

Trinity dimly remembered her mother mentioning a girl named Isabelle. Taylor had told her never to become an Isabelle (accompanied with all kinds of inappropriate words that Trinity never thought she'd hear her mother say). Now, after listening to what happened at the Ball, Trinity could understand why she wasn't supposed to become an Isabelle.

Never before, had Trinity heard of such drama happening between two people. Falling in love, falling out of love, falling back in love, falling out of love, and back again completely to the point where it was almost sickening but at the same time was kind of cute.

Trinity wondered vaguely if she would ever find that kind of love but decided she wasn't sure if she wanted it. It sounded too unpredictable and confusing. Besides, who was there to love?

When Remus finished the story, they both sat in silence, thinking and remembering. Remus cleared his throat again and said, "They made me your godfather when you were born."

"Really?"

"Yes, James and Lily Potter, Kayla Green, and I. Kayla would have loved you, I'm sure. You would have reminded her of your mother."

"Seems we're the only ones left, huh." Trinity and Remus looked up to see Harry sitting on the bottom step of the stairs. He had come down when Remus had started his story but didn't want to interrupt.

Remus nodded sadly, motioning for Harry to come and join them. "Seems to be. But, at least we are still here, to carrying on our loved ones memories."

He looked back and forth between the two teens. "You both are so much like your parents. They would be so proud of you right now. . . . Seeing as how we are the only ones left from such great people, you two should spend some time getting to know each other better."

Trinity and Harry glanced at each other. She realized that, though the amount of time she had spent with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, she hadn't spent any with Harry. But then, he hadn't been around much to spend time with and she, most likely, didn't look as though she wanted to spend time with anyone.

Remus looked at his watch and stood. "I really should be going."

Harry and Trinity stood too. Harry shook hands with Remus but when Remus turned to Trinity, offering his hand, she hugged him. This show of affection must have surprised both the men, but Remus hugged her back anyway. "I'll be seeing you both."

Remus walked back out the door and closed it, Disapparating with a pop as he did so.

Trinity and Harry both sat down again, feeling rather awkward. "So, where do we begin?" Trinity asked.

"From the beginning, I suppose."

Trinity stuck out her hand and said, "Hello, I'm Trinity. Trinity Black."

Harry smiled and took her hand. "I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

Molly Weasley and Arthur Weasley watched from the stairs, smiling and glancing at each other.

What a wonderful start to a new generation.


	6. Chapter 6 Hogwarts Express

Trinity sat across from Harry on the Hogwarts express, making nervous idle chitchat.

Both didn't know exactly what to expect from that year.

Harry was going to be swamped what with Quidditch (which he was thinking about handing over to someone else), homework (which she and Hermione had already agreed to helping with), and finding the remaining Horcruxes (which she, Ron, and Hermione were already helping with).

Trinity, on the other hand, was worried also about the Horcruxes (which she hardly new anything about), Quidditch (since she never really played on a team before and was hoping to try out), and keeping her vow to remained focused on staying strong (which was becoming increasingly hard because of her new friends).

Harry was somewhat . . . easier to talk to. Maybe because he had been through the same thing and knew she didn't want sympathy, just someone to talk to. And she was happy that she understood that. She had heard so many 'I'm sorry for you loss's that she was going insane. Sorry didn't really help anything. She supposed they said it to make her feel better and let her know that they were there . . . but it just sort of made her want to cry (the one thing she was determined not to do this year).

She was surprised to realize that she actually liked these new friends of hers.

As before, Harry was just easy to talk to, almost like an older brother.

Hermione was smart and good to talk to when Trinity was in the mood for intelligent conversations.

Ginny was witty and funny, though Trinity restrained from laughing most of time, but it was still nice to have her around.

And Ron . . . Ron was Ron. Trinity felt comfortable around him, but he made her nervous. Most likely because he was a living reminder of the past, her past, which both comforted her and scared her. And he made her smile . . . way to easily. Truth be told, she had developed a small soft spot for their garden conversations and that scared her too. This is why she was always somewhat wary around Ron Weasley.

Why couldn't he just be the same clumsy boy who fell off toy broomsticks?

"My cousin goes here," she burst out, suddenly, almost scaring Harry.

"Cousin?" Harry said. It took him a minute and when realization dawned on him, he frowned. "Draco Malfoy. He doesn't go here anymore."

"Oh," Trinity said, feeling a tad bit sad. Her last hope of family was dashed once again. "What was he like?"

"He was a git," Harry said, shaking his head. "A Slytherin. Loved to call Hermione a Mudblood all the time. He's . . . he's one of the main reasons for Dumbledore's death. . . . You wouldn't want to meet him."

"Doesn't sound like it." And Trinity meant it. Anyone who would call anyone a Mudblood was definitely not worth her time, considering her mother had been Muggleborn.

Ron and Hermione came in then and Ron started up a conversation with Harry while Hermione read a book.

"What positions are available on your team?" Trinity interrupted when Ron began this long old tangent on the Chudley Cannons.

"You play?" Ron said, smiling.

She shrugged. "Depends on what positions you have available."

"Well . . . Katie and Alicia are gone now, so that's two Chasers, Ginny's the other one. I'm not sure if those blokes Harry picked last year are back, so that's possibly two Beaters, and then, if Harry quits, that's a Seeker."

Trinity kind of liked the idea of being a Seeker. It was laid back, yet high class. She'd have to think about that one. "So you're Keeper than?" she said to Ron.

Ron looked mighty proud of himself. "Yep, I'm the Keeper."

"A pretty good one," Hermione said from behind her book.

" 'A pretty good one'?" Ron said, astonished. "I'll have you know that people have compared me to Tyler Petrel, the best Chaser known to man."

"Like who? Your mum?"

Trinity laughed. She couldn't help herself. That had been a good one. Harry and Hermione stared at her some what astonished. Ron's face, which had been slightly red, had turned back to its normal color and he smiled.

"She laughs!" Harry said, grinning.

Trinity felt her cheeks get hot and she quickly stood, murmuring 'excuse me' as she left the cabin.

**In the Cabin**

"I think we had a semi-breakthrough with her, you guys," Hermione said, putting her book down.

"Yeah, way to go, Hermione," Harry said, grinning again. "Now, whenever we need her to laugh, we tell a joke on Ron's expense."

"Hey!"

"Ron, Harry, I'm completely serious," Hermione continued, interrupting the argument Ron was definitely about to start. "I don't know if you noticed, but she's not a very . . . happy person. Matter of fact, she's not a very sad person either."

"She's indifferent," Ron said, nodding his head.

"Has she always been like that?" Harry asked.

"Only since her mum. . . ."

"So, she's doing it on purpose, then?" Hermione said.

"So as not to get hurt."

There was a small silence before Hermione whispered, "That's awful. She thinks that she might . . . that _we_ might."

"All we can do is be good friends to her," Harry said. "Let her know she doesn't have to worry about getting hurt again."

"We won't _let_ anything hurt her again," Ron said, viciously.

Just then, they could hear a girl cast about four hexes, all of them vicious and nasty. Trinity came in a little bit afterwards, trying to look indifferent but they could tell she was mad. Her wand was out and she was clenching it tightly.

"Um, Trinity?" Hermione said, carefully.

"Hmm?"

"Who did you just hex?"

"Oh, just a wanker. No one really important."

Hermione looked at her friends before looking out into the corridor, gasping as she did. When she came back in, she looked as if she didn't know whether to laugh or scold Trinity.

"Well?" Harry and Ron asked.

"She hexed Cormac McLaggen." There was a moment of silence before Hermione broke into loud fits of laughter. Harry and Ron shook their heads and turned to Trinity.

"Why'd you hex him?" Harry asked.

"He invaded my personal space."

"How?" Ron asked.

"He grabbed me and said we should 'dance' together. I can't wait till we get to Hogwarts. I need to scrub that slimy git's paw prints off of me."

Harry grinned and leaned over slightly to Ron. "I think she'll fit in just find here, don't you?"

Ron grinned back and said, "Trinity? Welcome to the joyous world of Hogwarts."


	7. Chapter 7 Sorting

This was absolutely humiliating.

Professor McGonagall had seemed strict, yet understanding.

But here she was, making Trinity participate in the Sorting with a bunch of first years.

People stared at her (it wasn't hard to spot her, considering she was the tallest among the group.)

Ron, Hermione, and Harry gave her reassuring smiles as her name was called.

She shyly approached the seat and sat down. McGonagall gave her a thin smile and then placed the hat on her head.

The hat sat silently on her head for a minute before saying, "_You are a Black. . . . And a Trinket. . . . Your mother and father were great people. . . . Mischievous, but great. . . . GRYFFINDOR!"_

The shout had been sudden and unexpected, which stunned Trinity. She was only shaken from her stupor by the Gryffindor table's loud shouts.

McGonagall lifted the hat from her head and she went to the Gryffindor Table, not caring that a smile graced her features.

**A/N: Sorry it is so short. I just wanted to give insight to her sorting. Thanks to all those who are reading. I hope you are enjoying it all.**


	8. Chapter 8 Draco Malfoy

Trinity wasn't sure how she knew it was him, but she did.

She had seen him during a trip to Hogsmeade, when she, Ron, Harry, and Hermione walked into the Three Broomsticks.

He walked out of Zonko's as she was walking into the bar. Their eyes connected for a second and he nodded, walking off. "I'll be back," Trinity said to her friends.

She left them and ran in the direction that the boy had gone in.

She only had to go a couple of feet before she found him, leaning nonchalantly against a wall.

Inside, her heart was pounding. She had found family at last. "Hey," she said, coolly.

The boy looked up at her, his pale blond hair falling over his silver eyes. "Hey," he said.

"Draco Malfoy?"

"Yep. Trinity Black?"

"Yep."

After a somewhat awkward pause, Trinity walked over to him and leaned against the wall in front of him.

"Looks like we're the only ones left," she said.

"Besides my dad."

"Really?"

"But you wouldn't want to meet him."

"Oh."

We talked randomly for a minute, about everything. He was staying no where for the moment. Trinity asked why he didn't just go back to school.

"Too painful," he responded.

Trinity decided to get back to her friends when Draco called out to her.

"Hey kid."

Trinity rolled her eyes and turned around. How could he call her 'kid' when he was only a year or something older than she was? "What?"

"Try smiling once in a while."

"Why should I? You don't."

Just then a smile appeared on his face and he chuckled. "Who's to say I don't? Besides, I know for a fact that all the women in the Black family have beautiful smiles. My mum's one of them. . . . See you later, kid."

He walked off, still chuckling.

Trinity headed back towards the Three Broom sticks, the left side of her mouth lifting up in a smirk.

Draco didn't seem as bad as Harry made him out to be.


	9. Chapter 9 Quidditch Tryout

Trinity clenched tightly to her broomstick, her heart beating horribly in her chest but a look of complete calm on her face.

She had never tried out for Quidditch before and she was hilariously nervous. Sure, Ron was Captain but that didn't mean he was going to go easy on her.

"Hicks, Travis! Weasley, Ginny! Chamberlain, Joseph! Black, Trinity!"

Trinity walked with the three others onto the field where Ron was standing with his own broom and the Quaffle.

Yes, Trinity decided to go out for the Chaser's position. After a lot of thought, she realized she wanted to be in the action.

Ron grinned at them as they approached. "Don't look so scared, you guys. Just have fun. So this is how we're going to do this. Hicks and Black, you'll be on the same team while Weasley and Chamberlain, you two will be together. This exercise will show how well you can handle the Quaffle and how well you can work on a team."

Trinity turned to Travis Hicks, who grinned and winked at her. "Hey, beautiful," he said.

Trinity frowned. Hicks. Where had she heard that name before? She rolled her eyes and said, "Hey, I'm not interested."

Hicks's grin became even wider and he said, "Oh, but you will be."

Ron flew up to the goal post and held the Quaffle out. "You guys ready?"

The four Chasers nodded.

Ron dropped the Quaffle.

Hicks was the first one to grab it, shooting into the air like a Fizzing Whizbee. He soared straight for the goals, not paying attention to the fact that Ginny was heading straight for him.

"Hicks!" Trinity called out, speeding towards him and Ginny.

Ginny stopped in front of Hicks, startling him. The ball dropped from his arms, falling towards Joseph Chamberlain. Trinity pushed forward and grabbed it just before it reached Chamberlain's fingertips. Spinning on her broom, she shot the Quaffle through the left hoop.

Below she could hear Hermione and Harry give a cheer. She quickly flew over to Hicks who was looking miffed.

"I was open," Trinity said. "We're supposed to be working as a team, Hicks, if we want to be on the team."

Hicks rolled his eyes but he nodded.

They continued on like that for close to half an hour, Hicks trying to steal the show the whole way through. Ginny's team was up four to three.

Time was running out and Hicks had the ball again. And he was blocked by Ginny and Chamberlain. This last goal was worth two points. He'd never make it from where he was.

Trinity waved her hands above her head. She was about ten feet from the goal. If Hicks would just stop trying to be the center of everything, they could win.

"Hicks!" Trinity called.

He looked absolutely torn. Trinity could tell that he absolutely didn't want to pass the ball to her, but he was trapped. A look of complete anguish on his face, he tossed the ball towards her.

As if in slow motion, Trinity watched as the ball flew towards her . . . way, way, way above her head. Quickly, she balanced herself and stood up on her broom.

She caught the ball by the tips of her fingers, the force pulling her backwards. As she fell, she flung the ball forward towards the right hoop.

The last thing she saw was Ron missing it by an inch.

"Trinity? Trinity?"

"Is she still breathing?"

"Of course, she is, you git. She wouldn't even be like this if you hadn't thrown the ball so off. Trin, can you hear me?"

"Maybe we should take her to the hospital wing?"

"No, I think she's coming around. Trin?"

Trinity forced her eyes open, lifting a hand to her head, which was pounding.

Ron was the one who had done most of the talking. He grinned when he saw she was awake. Next to him on either side were Harry and Hermione. Then there was Ginny, Chamberlain, and the others who had tried out for various positions. And then there was Hicks, looking guilty.

Trinity glanced around at them all again and said, "Why are you hovering?"

Her friends laughed and backed off, Ron offering his hand to her. She took it and he pulled her up.

"How'd I do?" she asked as he walked her to the stands.

"How does 'welcome to the team' sound for an answer?" he said.

"I think it sounds pretty good," Trinity said, turning to him. It was then she realized she was still holding his hand.

Quickly, they both let go, Trinity murmured a 'thanks', and went back to her seat by Harry and Hermione to watch the Seeker tryouts.

She was just close enough to see that Ron's ears had turned red.


	10. Chapter 10 Hogsmeade

"So, what happened to your mum?"

Trinity looked up at Draco who was sitting across from her, munching on a chocolate frog.

This had become their meeting place, an alleyway in Hogsmeade. It was quiet and people paid no attention to them.

Draco looked over at her. "Hmm?"

"Your mum. You've told me about your dad and you, but you never mentioned anything about your mum."

Draco looked away from her towards the opening of the alleyway. "She's gone."

"Gone?"

"Dead."

"I'm sorry. . . . How did it happen?"

"She did it."

"Oh."

Trinity fell silent, concentrating on her jelly beans. But Draco continued to talk about it. "She said she couldn't take it anymore, the war. So she used a knife and killed herself."

"I'm sorry."

"No use in being sorry. It's not going to bring her back."

They fell silent. Trinity didn't bring it up again, preferring her conversations with the much happier Draco Malfoy.

She was surprised she trusted him, after all Harry, Hermione, and Ron had said about him. But he was family. Why shouldn't you be able to trust family?

Draco got up, dusting snow and dirt off his pants and cloak. Holding his hand out to her he said, "Come on, I'll buy you some hot chocolate."

Trinity gave him a rare smile and took his hand.

Yeah.

Why shouldn't you be able to trust family?


	11. Chapter 11 Prophecies

Trinity shifted through a multiple stacks of paper, getting more frustrated as time ticked on.

Just as Professor McGonagall had agreed, they were allowed to leave school whenever they pleased to go searching for information on Horcruxes and for the Horcruxes themselves. So hear they were, back in the Ministry of Magic.

Harry had sent Hermione to go talk to the Aurors to see if they knew anything.

Ron was sent to talk to the people who worked with Time-turners to see if there was any way to create a Horcrux out of something that had existed or that would exist.

Harry went to talk to the Minister of Magic, which he was not looking forward too.

And where had Trinity been sent?

To the Prophecy room where she was currently frustrated to the point of breaking!

Apparently, when a prophecy is made, not only is one of those little glass orbs created, but each thing is written down for 'easier reference'. Trinity didn't consider it easier if she had to still look through stacks of paper.

Finding nothing, she went back into the main room where the orbs were and walked up in down the aisle, looking for prophecies with Harry's name on it. But some of the prophecies were the same ones she found back in the papers and where as trivial as 'Harry would learn to brush his teeth all by himself as the ninth month dies.'

It was when Trinity had passed a prophecy about Harry becoming the Quidditch Captain for one year that she heard a voice. It was soft and she wouldn't have heard it if she hadn't have stopped walking for that quick second.

"_Trinity_," it called, sounding as if it were coming from her left.

"_Trinity_." This time it sounded as if it came from her right.

Trinity looked around wildly as the voice became more persistent and louder, pressing into her from all sides. She crouched down, holding her hands against her ears and scrunching her eyes shut. She didn't want to admit she was scared but the fear was too hard to fight down.

And then it stopped.

Trinity warily opened her eyes, peering into the dim light. Slowly, she got to her feet. It was her imagination, was all. She was in a creepy place and had imagined something just as creepy.

She went to turn and was faced by a person, except this person glowed, its eyes wide and white. Its mouth opened wide, revealing a gaping black hole.

"_TRINITY._"

Trinity cried out and fell backwards, falling into a wall. Her hand flung out and caught onto a shelf, pulling it down and bringing with it several glass orbs. Trinity held her hands above her head as they shattered around her.

When the commotion stopped, she opened her eyes. The creature, whatever it was, was gone, and in its place stood an unbroken orb, glowing brilliantly.

Trinity crawled forward and picked it up.

_T.W.O to L.M._

_Dark Lord and Trinity Black._

Trinity stared at the ball for a long time before hopping to her feet and rushing into the room where the papers were written.

Searching around frantically, she flung papers that she had set down aside. Finally, she found it, still be written by a magical quill.

She waited impatiently, snatching the parchment up as soon as the magical quill moved. Her eyes flashed across the paper, her heart plummeting as she read. She couldn't believe it.

"Trinity!"

She jumped, pulling her wand out, only to realize that it was Ron calling her from the distance. "Coming!" she cried back, her voice trembling.

She glanced back down at the paper. A prophecy had just been made about her. This was the reason why those Death Eaters came to her house.

"Trinity!"

Trinity jumped again. She folded up the paper and stuck it in her pocket. Quickly, she ran back into the room and put the orb onto a shelf. Using her wand, she tried to repair the others and the shelf as best as she could. Then she rushed over to the Time-Turner room were Ron was waiting.

"We're supposed to go meet Harry now," Ron said, looking up at a clock. He looked back at Trinity, concern in his eyes. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Oh, he didn't know how close he was to the truth. "I'm fine. This place just gives me the creeps you know."

Ron nodded sympathetically, catching hold of her hand. "Let's get out of her then."

He pulled her back towards the lifts, but she kept glancing back towards the Prophecy room. Her free hand slipped into her pocket and her fingers brushed against the parchment.

Now was the time to really be scared.


	12. Chapter 12 Christmas

"Merry Christmas, Trinity."

Trinity looked up as Harry handed her a large present. She gave him a small smile. She still had yet to tell anyone about her prophecy. She knew she could tell Harry and yet, it had been a week and she hadn't said a word. "Thanks Harry. You got my present, right?"

"Yeah, thanks, I was running out of broom servicing stuff. . . . So go ahead and open it."

Trinity sat down in a chair in the common room, with Harry's present in her lap. Carefully she unwrapped the red paper to reveal a green book. She looked up at Harry who grinned at her. "Open it."

She looked back at the book and opened the cover.

"Oh . . . Harry."

Inside were dozens of photos. Photos of her mother and father and Harry's parents too and Remus. Photos of her parent's wedding. Her mother and father waved out to her as they ran up an aisle, people throwing rice at them.

Her eyes stung and she blinked back the tears. She sniffed and lowered her gaze. "Thank you, Harry."

"No problem. . . . Did you want to hang out with us at Hogsmeade today?"

"Um, I don't think I'm going today. Not feeling well."

"Okay. You get some rest."

"Right."

Harry left to go catch up with Ron and Hermione. When she was sure she was alone, Trinity ran from the Common room and out to the Quidditch Pitch, clutching the photo album to her chest.

When she reached the Pitch, she was out of breath and nearly collapsed onto the bench. She looked around quickly before transforming, the album dropping from her grasp.

In her place now sat a majestic black panther with multicolored eyes. Purring softly, she picked up the album gently in her mouth and padded out to the middle of the Pitch, laying down in the soft grass. She settled the album underneath her paws and rested her head on it, closing her eyes against the pain.

It began to snow.

**

* * *

**

**Ron's** **POV**

Ron wasn't sure how he decided, but after close to four hours in Hogsmeade with Harry and Hermione he said, "I think I'm going to head back up to the castle."

Harry and Hermione grinned at each other. "Going to go check on Trinity?" Harry said.

"No," Ron protested, though his cheeks went red. "I'm just – It's started to snow and I'm freezing."

"Right, Ron," Hermione said. "We'll meet you back up at the castle. Tell Trinity we said hi."

"Shut up, Hermione."

* * *

Back at the castle, Trinity was no where in sight. Ron practically searched the whole castle for her, asking everyone who had stayed if they saw her.

"Trinity Black?" said one Hufflepuff second year. "Yeah, I think I saw her heading towards the Quidditch pitch around the time everyone left."

Ron thanked the boy and hurried off towards the Quidditch Pitch. Something didn't feel right.

* * *

Ron was quiet as he entered the Pitch, not really knowing what to expect.

What he didn't expect was to see a panther sitting in the middle of the field, its eyes closed and its fur drenched in snow. Could it be dead?

Ron took quiet steps towards the creature. As he got closer, he noticed that only one spot beneath the creature was dry. And in that one spot lay a green book.

"Trinity?" Ron whispered.

The panther's ears twitched and it lifted its head, its eyes snapping open. Even from where he was standing, Ron could see Trinity's multi-colored eyes.

Ron took a small step back as Trinity growled at him. She was angry at him for finding her. She snatched up the book in her mouth and rushed past him. "Trinity!" he called.

Running as fast as he could, he chased after her. Snow hit him in the face and the wind blew his hood off. He continued to call Trinity's name but she didn't seem to be anywhere in sight . . . again.

He finally found her, crouched underneath the tree by the Black Lake. Carefully, he approached her. "Trinity?" he said.

She looked up at him with angry eyes. But he still continued to walk closer to her.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself, Trinity," he said. "You can't keep isolating your feelings and isolating yourself from your friends. We're – I'm here to help you. I know I can't do anything to bring back your family and I know you don't want anything to replace them, but I can do all I can to make sure that . . . that you feel like you still have a family. Will you let me do that?"

Trinity's head dropped and, slowly, she transformed back into her normal self. The book was now clutched in her arms and she was soaking wet from her head to her sneakers. Ron rushed forward, taking off his jacket. He wrapped it around her shoulders and helped her to her feet.

* * *

**Trinity POV**

Trinity stumbled along as he rushed her back up to the Common room. She was shivering violently. It had been stupid for her to sit our there in the snow, she realized. It would be her fault if she got violently sick.

Once in the empty Common room, Ron made her sit down in front of the fireplace while he rushed up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. He came back down minutes later with the quilt from his bed and a bundle of cloths. Trinity tried to get to her feet, but she fell again, feeling weak.

Ron was by her side immediately, helping her up.

"I have to go c-c-change," she said. She had a massive headache, almost like a brain freeze.

"I'm not sure if I can let you go up there alone," Ron said. "You might pass out and then I won't be able to get to you until a girl comes back. . . . Come on."

He led her up the stairs to his dormitory, letting her inside. "You go ahead and change and I'll be right out here."

The door closed and Trinity slowly changed into the pajama pants and the sweatshirt Ron had given her. So this was the boys' dormitory, was it? It was incredibly messy.

She opened the door and Ron took her by her hand, leading her back downstairs to the Common room where they sat in front of the fire.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked. "There's something else besides your family, isn't there?"

Trinity looked over at him before looking back into the fire. She reached over to her wet pants and pulled out the prophecy. She had been carrying it around since she found it. She unfolded it, a small bitter smile on her face. "Here I was, missing my family when I'm going to see them again pretty soon."

"What do you mean?" Ron said.

". . . . I'm supposed to die, Ron."

"You're supposed to – Trinity, what are you talking about?"

"The other day, when we went to the Ministry of Magic, a prophecy was made while I was standing in the room. It was a prophecy about me and Voldemort."

She held out the paper again, the fire shining through the worn parchment. "'A girl born the morn after the Chosen One will be the link between the Dark Lord's downfall. Only through her will the Chosen One be able to defeat the Dark Lord. Through sacrifice.'"

"What does it mean?" Ron said.

"It means this is why those Death Eaters came to my house to try to kill me. Voldemort would have tried to kill me himself, but if he does, the curse will backfire like it did with Harry when he was one year old. Even if we find all the Horcruxes, Voldemort will still be strong. This way, Voldemort will be weakened, Harry will be able to defeat him, and . . . I'll be dead."

Ron was silent for a moment. "I won't let it happen."

"Ron, this is how it has to be. I have to sacrifice myself in order for Harry to save the world. It's okay, really."

"It's _okay_? How can you say that?" Ron hopped to his feet, his cheeks red. "You talk about dying as if it's the thing to do, that it'll make everything better! But what you don't realize is that it won't make things okay at all! It won't make things better for Harry, it won't make things better for Hermione, it won't make things better for my mom and dad, and it sure as hell won't make things better for me! You'd be giving yourself up only to leave behind tons of hurt people and I'm sorry if I sound selfish, but I'm not going to let it happen!"

Ron dropped back down to his knees, taking Trinity's hands in his. Trinity was in a state of shock and it showed. Ron had never yelled at her before. But besides that, she never realized how many people did actually care about her. She wasn't as alone as she liked to make herself.

"I'm not going to let you die, Trinity," Ron said, lifting her cold hands to his chest and sandwiching them between his. "I'm going to keep you safe. Prophecies have been wrong before. Maybe this one will be wrong too."

Trinity looked away from Ron's determined eyes, realizing that her own were filled with tears. She let them fall though, the salty water landing on the carpet between her and Ron. Ron pulled her towards him and wrapped her in a tight hug. She clung to him, needing his protection and his caring words. The hard shelter she had put around her heart had since cracked and was falling apart, opening up to all she had been feeling the past couple of months.

After she had cried for a couple of minutes, she leaned back from Ron, wiping the tears from her face. "I'm not as tough as I act," she told Ron.

"Could have fooled me," Ron joked, making Trinity laugh.

They sat in silence for a minute before Ron got back on his feet, offering his hand to her. "Dance with me."

"Can you even dance?"

"I don't know what Hermione's been telling you. I dance perfectly fine. . . . Come on, just one dance."

"Why?"

"Well, since you won't come with me to the end of year dance."

Trinity smiled. She refused, no matter what, to attend a school function as trivial as a dance, especially considering she had Quidditch, Horcruxes, and an impending prophecy to worry about. But. . . . "I'm still thinking, I told you."

"Yeah, well, you're taking to long. Keep on waiting and some other girl might come snatch up this hot guy."

"Ha, sure. I bet I'm the best you can get."

"Only because you are the best."

Trinity's cheeks got hot, she could feel, and the smile on her face got a little bit bigger. Shaking her head, she took Ron's hand and he pulled her to her feet, pulling her closer to him at the same time. She wrapped her arms and around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. "Ron . . . there's no music."

"I know."

"You know we can't just forget about –"

"I know. But for now, let's just spend this time with each other."

* * *

**Harry and Hermione POV**

Harry and Hermione came back from Hogsmeade their arms laden with sweets.

"I hope Trinity's feeling a bit better," Hermione said.

"She's has been acting a little strange lately hasn't she?" Harry said. "I'm sure she's fine though. Maybe Ron made her feel better."

Harry and Hermione entered the Common room and were greeted with the sight of several of their classmates crowded around a couch, whispering and laughing quietly.

Harry and Hermione pushed through the crowd the couch, their sweets almost dropping out of their arms.

On the couch lay Ron and Trinity, his arm around her waist and her head on his chest. Harry turned to the crowd and began to angrily shoo them away. "Mind your own business."

When they were all gone, he turned back to Hermione was still staring at Ron and Trinity. "Should we wake them up?" she whispered.

Harry thought for a minute before pointing out the small smile on Trinity's face. "I don't think we should mess with anything that puts that on her face. They'll wake up eventually."

Harry levitated the quilt from the floor and laid it over them. Then he and Hermione went to the other side of the room to eat their candy.


	13. Chapter 13 Quidditch Game

**A/n: I'd like to give a shout out to my girl allhugs13 for being my most frequent reviewer of this story. Love you friend!!**

"And here's your Gryffindor team!"

Trinity flew out behind Ron, the rest of the team behind her.

This was her third Quidditch match and she still go scared every time they flew out. Her palms always felt sweaty and she always thought she'd drop the ball.

Today they were playing Ravenclaw for second place.

They had this in the bag.

The Quaffle was thrown into play and the game was on.

Everything went normal until a Ravenclaw Chaser tried to pull an extremely complicated move with his broomtail and the Quaffle. The Quaffle was sent soaring out of the stadium and Trinity went to fetch it.

The ball had landed on the edge of the forest when Trinity reached it.

She bent down to get it, something catching her eye.

Quickly she flew back to the game, trying to win it as fast as she could.

The boy on their team named Samson, finally caught the Snitch and the game ended.

"No time to celebrate," Trinity said to Ron, Harry, and Hermione. "I have something to show you."

Trinity led her friends towards the edge of the forest and showed them where she saw the shiny thing.

Harry was the one who reached over to pick it up and holding it in his hands. It was a locket.

Hermione gasped. "Is it really?"

Harry held it up closer to his face before holding it out at arms length. Ron pulled out his wand, muttered a spell and tapped the locket.

Nothing happened.

Harry grinned at Trinity. "I think Trinity just found R.A.B's real locket. We've got another Horcrux."


	14. Chapter 14 Borgin's Shop

Trinity and her friends stood in the shadows of Knockturn Alley, staring up at Mr. Borgin's shop where they believed Hufflepuff's goblet was hidden.

"We can't all go in," Hermione said. "That would be too suspicious."

"Harry can't go in because he'll be recognized," Ron said.

While they discussed this, Trinity stared up at the dirty store. NO matter how long they discussed it, someone was going to have to go inside. "I'll go," she said.

Leaving them before they could disagree, she walked across the street and into the shop.

It was incredibly dingy inside and crowded. She recognized some of the artifacts Harry had told them about.

An old man suddenly appeared behind the counter. "May I help you, Miss?" he said, looking at her with interest.

"Are you Mr. Borgin?" Trinity said, trying to make herself sound older.

"It depends on who's askin'."

"I'm looking to buy."

"Then I am Mr. Borgin. Did anything out here interest you?"

"No. I'm looking for something more . . . specific."

Mr. Borgin's dark eyes seemed to light up. He walked to one end of the counter and opened a door to the back of his shop. "Follow me."

Looking through the window really quick, she followed Borgin into the back. It was even more crowded back there and the artifacts looked even deadlier.

Borgin motioned to different objects but she didn't pay attention, her eyes shifting around the dark room.

Her eyes settled on a small cabinet. The cabinet wasn't big enough to hold but one thing. While Borgin continued down the aisle. Trinity reached forward and opened the small cabinet.

Inside sat Hufflepuff's goblet. It looked exactly like Harry said it would look. "What a marvelous item! How much would you sell for?"

Borgin was next to her in a second, slamming the door shut. "That item isn't for sell!"

"Oh, well, I suppose you don't have anything to interest me," Trinity said, glancing at the cabinet.

"Wait!" Borgin said, gently touching her arm. "I sure there will be something else that will catch your interest further down."

With that, he turned his back on her and the cabinet.

* * *

Ten minutes or so later, Trinity came rushing out of the shop, clutching her arms around her stomach.

"Trinity?" Ron said.

"Let's go," she said, half walking, half running to Knockturn Alley's exit.

"What happened?" Harry said.

"I'll explain later. Come on."

"What's wrong with you stomach?" Hermione said.

"We'll you three knock it off with the questions. Hurry up."

Trinity continued to run-walk, her friends hot on her trail. Glancing over her shoulder quickly, she saw Borgin coming out of his shop, looking about frantically.

The four friends soon reached the Leaky Cauldron, where their hearts pounded hard from the unexpected exercise.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked after he had ordered four cups of water from Tom.

Trinity looked around for a minute before unzipping her jacket. Gently, she set Hufflepuff's goblet in the center of the table.

Her friends stared at it amazed. "He let you buy it?" Harry said.

"Uh, not exactly," Trinity said, not looking at them.

It only took Hermione a second. "You STOLE it?"

Harry, Ron, and Trinity hissed at her to be quiet. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You _stole_ it?"

"What did you expect me to do?" Trinity said. "He was desperate not to sell it. I wasn't sure if we'd ever have another chance to get it. So I took it then. What?" she added when she saw Hermione's disapproving frown. "Either way we did it, it was going to have to get stolen. Some times you have to play a little dirty. We knew that when we got into this."

"You're a thief," Ron said, looking at her with awe.

"I'm not a thief," Trinity said, smiling. "I'm just gifted."

"On a more serious note, they'll be on our tail now," Harry said. He was shaking his head but there was a small smile on his face. "Borgin will tell some Death Eater, they'll tell Voldemort, and then Voldemort going be on his guard. We knew that we weren't going to be able to keep our plans hidden for long. We've still got two Horcruxes out there so we're just going to have to be careful."

As Tom approached their table, Trinity stuffed the goblet back inside her jacket.

No one could be trusted.


	15. Chapter 15 House of Riddle

_How do I always end up in these situations?_

This is what Trinity asked herself as she crept through Tom Riddle Senior's old house.

It had been another of Harry's idea, that maybe he had hid something in there. They, she and her friends, were taking a big risk, considering that now Voldemort knew what they were up to and this was like Voldemort's headquarters.

Dressed in black caprice, a black t-shirt, and black tennis shoes with her hair tied up in a bun, a Muggle device called a 'walky-talky', and her wand lighting her way, Trinity snuck into Tom Riddle Senior's den.

She and her friends had split up almost an hour ago, trying to stick to different sides of the house. Trinity had chosen the west. But she had a sick feeling that they weren't alone.

"Trinity."

Trinity jumped as the walky-talky came to live on her hip. Sure, her mother had been Muggle-born, but she had no use for walky-talkies.

Quickly, she snatched it from her built and held it up to her mouth. "Who's this?"

"Ron. Where are you at?"

"Still in the West Wing. Where's everyone else?"

"Still in their same places."

Trinity froze. She had heard something.

"Trinity are you okay?" Ron's voice whispered over the device.

Looking around, Trinity spotted another door on the other side of the door. "I don't think we're alone," Trinity whispered back as she went through the door, putting out the light on her wand.

She was in a hallway, somewhere else in the house. Lost.

The sound came from within the den now. It sounded as if something was slithering towards her. Quickly she ran down the hallway, checking each of the doors. Each was locked. "I'm being followed," she whispered frantically.

"Where are you?"

"I don't know. I was in the den when I heard the noise. Now I'm in some hallway."

She reached the end of the hallway and entered into the room. A bedroom.

Trinity swiftly crawled into the closet, clutching her wand and her walky-talky to her chest. "I think Nagini's in the house with us," she told Ron.

"The snake?"

"Know any other Nagini's?"

Trinity turned off the walky-talky as she heard the creak of the door opening.

_Come out, come out, wherever you are. I hear you breathing._

Trinity placed a hand over her nose and mouth, trying to quiet her breathing and her pounding heart. She understood the snake. How? Merlin that was supposed to be Harry's area of work.

_Come out, come out,_ came the hiss again.

Trinity pressed her back harder against the back of the closet as the slithering came closer. Snake's couldn't open closets could they? Apparently so. This one had opened the doors to the den, the hallway, and the bedroom.

She closed her eyes as a shadow stopped in front of her hiding place. As the door began to open, Trinity fell backward.

Stifling her scream, she twisted onto her stomach as she slid down a hidden passageway, heading to who knows where. A couple minutes later, she hit a square shape door and fell through, landing on a hard wood floor.

"Who's there? I'm not afraid to fight you!"

"Ron?"

"Trinity?"

Trinity hopped to her feet and ran to the wand light, jumping into Ron's arms.

"I was so worried," Ron said, running his hand up and down her back. "You weren't responding. I thought I lost you."

"I had to turn it off," she said, pressing her face into Ron's shoulder. "The freaking snake was talking to me, Ron! It almost found me."

Ron lifted his up his walky-talky and changed the channel like Harry had taught them. One arm still wrapped around Trinity's waist, he pressed the button. "Harry," he whispered into it.

"What's up? Did you get a hold of Trinity?" Harry said.

"Yeah, she's right next to me. Harry, his snake is in here with us. It talked to Trinity."

There was silence. "All right, here's what we're going to do. Nagini is the other Horcrux. There probably won't be another time to get rid of her. Hermione is somewhere in the North wing. I want you to find her and get outside. I'll meet you out there."

Trinity's ears pricked as she heard the sound of something sliding down the hidden passageway. She snatched the walky-talky from Ron and turned it off saying, "Turn your wand off."

"What?"

Taking a deep breath, Trinity transformed again, turning back into a panther. She could see in the dark now. Tugging at Ron's sleeve with her teeth, she led him out of what appeared to be the ballroom.

He followed her blindly down an empty hallway, heading in the direction of the North Wing. The snake was following them, she could hear it. She and Ron rushed into a room and Ron closed the door behind them.

"What in the world?"

Trinity transformed back to normal in front of the amazed Hermione. "You're a – a –" she spluttered.

"I'll explain later," Trinity said. "Right now you guys have to get out of here. Call Harry and tell him where I am, where Nagini is."

"The _three_ of us have to get out of here, Trin," Ron said. "What do you expect to do?"

"I'm going to hold her off so you guys can get away."

"Trin –"

"It'll be fine, Ron."

Nagini's shadow stopped outside of the room they were in. Trinity transformed back into a panther. Roaring at Ron and Hermione she turned towards the door as it opened.

Ron and Hermione ran. Nagini came in.

_So, little one has a big secret,_ the snake hissed.

Trinity growled angrily. _Let's just get this over with_, she thought to herself.

The snake rose, hissing at her, and lunged.

* * *

**Harry POV**

Harry rushed towards the North Wing, trying to take the route Ron and Hermione had given him. He reached the ballroom, running through the opposite door and into a hallway.

The loud sound of hissing and growling reached his ear and he headed for the door at the end of the hallway, his wand held out in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door.

There, in the center of a large dining area, was Trinity as a panther and Nagini the snake, fighting viciously. Trinity had the large snake's tail trapped between her teeth. The snake rose up and lunged.

Harry shouted out a warning but it was in vain. The snake's teeth entered into Trinity's side. Trinity gave a loud roar of pain, releasing the tail. Nagini let go of Trinity and slid into a corner.

_You're just like me now, girl,_ it hissed. The snake's eyes turned to Harry. It almost looked like it was grinning. _Tell me, Harry Potter, how far are you willing to go to destroy Voldemort_.

_As far as it takes,_ Harry hissed back.

_Does that include letting your friend die_?

Angrily, Harry raised his wand and shot Nagini with the Horcrux destroying spell. The snake writhed around, withering down to nothing. A wisp of smoke came from her body. A bit of Voldemort's soul.

Harry rushed to Trinity, who had fallen to her side and was transforming back to her normal self. Her side where Nagini had bit her was bleeding.

"Trinity, are you okay?" he said, slipping his hands under her arms.

She nodded slightly. "Never eat snake, Harry," she said, weakly.

Harry gave her a small smile, lifting her to her feet. "We got to go, this place will be swarming with Death Eaters in a minute."

He pulled her outside to where the others were waiting. Ron rushed forward to help hold up Trinity, who didn't look well at all. Together, the four friends Apparated back to the castle.


	16. Chapter 16 Something's Missing

_A man dressed in all black, a hood over his head, kneeled down, his head lowered. "It has been completed, Master. The Horcrux has been created."_

"_Good, good," came a snake like voice from the shadows. "Keep in eye on it."_

Trinity awoke, her hand automatically lifting to her side. Even though she was still in pain, the snake bite was gone.

"Hey."

Trinity looked to her left to see Ron sitting in a chair next to her. He looked as if he had been sleeping, uncomfortably. She glanced around and realized that she was in the Hospital Wing back at Hogwarts.

"Hey," Trinity said. "What happened?"

"You passed out after we had Apparated back here," Ron said, sitting up in his chair. "Madam Pomfrey said it was just a really bad bite and then she went off on some tirade about letting kids wander off all nilly-willy. She's had many conversations with herself before but that one was pretty entertaining. . . . Anyway, she said you can leave whenever you want."

"What time is it? How long have I been in here?"

"Um, going on noon and since we got back from the mansion so about half a day."

Trinity opened her mouth to comment when she realized something. A small smile came to her face. "Did you stay here with me?"

Ron's cheeks got red. "Um, well, yeah, but . . . uh, someone had to make sure you were okay."

"Oh . . . right."

Ron held out his hand and helped her out of the bed. "Hermione and Harry want us to meet them up in the common room."

Still holding onto her, Ron took Trinity back to the Common Room.

The four friends stared at the paper that lay between them.

"Something's missing," Harry said into the silence.

They all knew that. It was so plain to see. But what could it be.

"Okay, let's just try to go over this again," Hermione said, picking up the paper. "Harry destroyed the diary in second year."

"That's one," said Ron.

"Then Dumbledore destroyed the Gryffindor's sword and Slytherin's ring."

"That's three."

"And this year, we've destroyed Hufflepuff's cup, R.A.B's locket, and Nagini."

"That's six."

The four friends looked at each other. "There's supposed to be seven," Harry said.

"Maybe it's something of Ravenclaw's?" Ron said.

"Ravenclaw had very few personal items besides her books and those aren't sentimental enough," Hermione said.

Trinity thought back to the Riddle mansion. They hadn't found anything that had belonged to Voldemort except for Nagini. It was very unlikely that he had used anything of his fathers.

_You're just like me now_.

Trinity lifted her head from her hands, her eyes wide.

Nagini had said that.

And her dream from before she awoke.

_The Horcrux has been created._

"Trinity?"

She looked up at her friends, who looked worried. "What is it?"

"Your eyes," Ron said. "They looked red for a minute."

Trinity jumped up from the table, moving away. "Oh merlin. . . ."

She sunk to her knees, the fight and her strength leaving her. Ron rushed over to her. "What's wrong, Trinity? Are you still feeling sick?"

She was now.

She looked up at her friends. "I'm the last Horcrux."


	17. Chapter 17 Normal

Trinity marveled in her thoughts. She never thought that her three friends could ever get this quiet. But as soon as she had told them about the prophecy, it became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop on the carpet. When she was beginning to think that they had been literally shocked into silence, Harry spoke.

"Why didn't you tell us about the prophecy earlier?"

Trinity glanced up at Ron. "I suppose part of me wanted to forget about it. It didn't make sense, you know, why _I_ had to be the one to sacrifice myself for the cause. . . . And I was angry because, though I miss my parents horribly, I finally found something worth living for: you guys, my family. None of it made sense, but now it does. Anyone can kill me. If anyone else does, my body just becomes a shell for Voldemort's soul. . . . But if Voldemort kills me, he's basically killing himself. The spell will backfire and Harry will be able to destroy him."

Silence again. Hermione took a deep breath and said, "But, I'm not really sure – I don't quite understand how you became a Horcrux."

Trinity shook her head. "I think it was when Nagini bit me in the mansion. Somehow, she gave me a part of Voldemort's Horcrux."

Ron slammed his hand on the table. "This can't be happening. For all we know, it could just be one big mistake! There's no way that Trinity could be a Horcrux."

"But Ron," Hermione said, "the prophecy says –"

"Who gives a damn about the stupid prophecy? There was a prophecy that said Neville Longbottom could be the 'Chosen One' and yet look who it is! I don't know how you guys can sit here and act like everything's fine! Act like it's okay that there's a possibility that our friend is going to die!"

"People are going to die, Ron," Trinity said softly, not looking at him. "There's a big chance that Harry could die but if I do this then –"

"That's not good enough, Trinity! How can sit there and just act like this is normal?"

"Because death is normal, Ron! People die, People are murdered, people commit suicide! There's nothing we can do about it! But there's a good chance that I can stop a lot of people dying by letting myself get killed. What's one life compared to millions of others?"

Ron stared at her incredulously for a moment before his eyes narrowed. "One life is a whole bunch to me."

He spun on his heel and stormed out of the room. Trinity dropped back into her chair, her head in her hands.

Ten minutes later, she felt the table move slightly. "I'm going to go see if he's okay," Harry said.

"No," Trinity said, standing. "I'll go."

Not looking at either of her friends, she walked across the Common Room and out of the portrait hole.

* * *

She knew he'd be standing there, right were he found her that Christmas.

Quietly she walked up to Ron and stared out to the Black Lake, her arms wrapped across her chest. "I'm sorry . . . for getting so angry," she whispered after a moment.

Ron sighed, a pain laden breath that shook. "It's not fair."

"It's not," Trinity agreed. She knew he meant that their lives were not fair, that this world was not fair. People always said that live wasn't fair, but for one brief moment of happiness, couldn't life be fair? Trinity supposed she and Ron would have to wait for that fair moment. "Ron?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember last summer you told me that it was okay to cry, sometimes it helps?"

"Yeah."

"Do you mind if I do it now?"

Ron shook his head and held out his arms to her. She let herself be enveloped into his embrace, warm tears falling onto his chest. A moment or so later, she felt his own tears dripping softly into her hair. She wanted to look up, wipe the tears from his face but he held onto her tightly. He didn't want her to see him cry, she realized. He wanted to be strong for her.

Trinity shook her head slightly and muttered, "We can be strong together, Ron."

She felt him nod against her head as he tightened his embrace. For that moment, she knew she had something worth fighting for. This boy who bugged her constantly, picking and picking at her, trying to get her to smile and laugh, trying to get her to open up. This boy who, from far away, you could tell cared about her.

She decided she only leave him if she had to. Other than that, she wasn't going anywhere.


	18. Chapter 18 Last Time

"This would look gorgeous on you!"

Trinity scrunched up her nose. She had decided she'd go to the End-of-Year Ball . . . with Ron. . . . Well, he didn't actually know she was going. It was going to be a surprise.

But if she was going to show up at the ball, she wanted to look spectacular. Hermione, at the moment, was holding an incredibly poofy, bright pink outfit with tons of ruffles.

"I was thinking of something more like this," Trinity said, holding out a picture to Hermione. It was a picture of her mother at her Christmas Ball her last year of school. She wore a light green dress that hung to her knees in the front and to her ankles in the back. Taylor forced a grin as Tyler Hicks wrapped an arm around her waist while a sulky Sirius stood in the background.

"She was beautiful," Hermione said, softly. "You know, I think I saw a dress like that in here. Not exactly the same color, but still very pretty. . . . Come on."

They managed to find the dress, though it was red, for a pretty good price. Hermione went to meet Ron and Harry at the Three Broomsticks while Trinity went to meet Draco in their alley, saying she needed to buy extra quills.

He appraised her dress when she got there, running his finger over the soft material. "Lovely," he said, appreciatively.

"Thanks," she said, shrinking it down and putting it in her pocket. Leaning against the wall she looked up at Draco. "This will probably be the last time I get to see you."

"For now," Draco said, nodding. "There are other places outside of Hogsmeade."

Trinity twisted uncomfortably. "I suppose."

_If you're alive_, she thought to herself.

Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around Draco's neck.

She felt her heart break for a moment at thethought of leaving her newly found relative.

She didn't feel him stiffen slight before wrapping his arms around her waist and giving her a quick squeeze.

Letting go, she waved as she rushed off back to her friends.

Her back to him as she ran, Draco gave her a devilish smirk.


	19. Chapter 19 End of Year Ball

The End-Of-Year ball came way too quickly for Trinity's liking. She was nervous and didn't feel at all pretty as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair traveled in ringlets to the middle of her back, part of it held up in a half ponytail. She wore little makeup, just eyeliner and mascara. She felt too overdone.

"Come on, Trinity," Hermione said, knocking on the door. "If you stay in there any longer, you'll miss the dance."

"All right, all right, I'm coming," she said, reaching forward to open the door.

Hermione grinned, wide-eyed when she saw her. Hermione wore a shiny black dress with a slit on the side, her hair pulled up in a bun. She looked magnificent.

"You look absolutely superb," Hermione said, taking Trinity's hand and making her spin around. "Oh, Ron's going to love this."

"Hermione, hurry up!" came Ron's voice from the common room.

"Speak of the devil," she said, smirking. "We're coming! Ready, darling."

"No," Trinity said.

"Right, let's go before you change your mind then."

**Ron POV**

Girls always took so long to get ready.

He looked at Harry, who shrugged. Ron sighed and looked back towards the stairs. This was pointless anyway. He didn't have a date. Trinity was the only one he wanted to go with.

"Now," came Hermione's voice from the stairs, "I present to you, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, the lovely Miss Trinity Black."

There were angry whispers before Trinity came stumbling slightly down the stairs.

Ron's mouth dropped wide open.

She was beautiful. Well, she always had been, but now she seemed to glow. Her dress was a lovely shade of red and fit her nicely.

Harry elbowed Ron slightly and he closed his mouth, swallowing the huge lump in his throat. Trinity reached the bottom of the stairs and walked towards him. "Surprise," she said softly.

"You – you – you look –" Ron stuttered.

"You look spectacular," Harry said. Ron nodded enthusiastically. "You both do," Harry added when he saw Hermione. "Come on, let's get to the party."

Ron held out his arm to Trinity and she took it, giving him a reassuring smile that made things worse. No girl had ever really made him feel this way, like he couldn't breathe or talk or walk. He was having trouble hearing too, all his focus caught by the girl on his arm.

How on earth did he get so lucky?

"Thanks for going with me, Ron," Trinity murmured. He looked over at her to see that her cheeks were pink and she had a small embarrassed smile on her face. And he stared at her, amazed that she was thanking _him_ when he should be thanking _her_.

"A-a-anytime," Ron said back.

They reached the Great Hall where Trinity was the subject of many a looks. Ron frowned slightly, placing his hand over Trinity's hand on his arm. She looked up at him and smiled, a smile meant only for him, and he smiled back, feeling giddy.

He pulled out a chair for her at one of the many tables and she sat down, her cheeks still slightly tinged with pink. "Why does it feel like everyone's staring at me?" she whispered as Ron sat next to her.

"Maybe it's because you're probably the prettiest girl in this room," Ron whispered back, grinning at her.

She ducked her head, embarrassed, but a pleased smile was on her face now. He placed his hand over hers again and said, "Would you like some punch?"

She nodded and Ron went to the table across the room where Ginny was passing out cups of punch. She grinned widely at Ron. "I see you finally told Trinity how you felt?"

"Um, not exactly," Ron said, taking two cups of punch. "I'll tell her soon, I swear," he added when Ginny gave him a look.

"Well, you better hurry up. Before someone else gets her." She pointed over Ron's shoulder and he spun around to see Cormac McLaggen standing at their table. Harry and Hermione sat looking angry, but not as angry as Trinity, who stood facing McLaggen with her hands on her hips.

Ron hurried back to the table and handed Trinity her toast. "Here you go."

"Thank you," she said, and then she poured the juice on McLaggen's head. Turning to Ron, she took his hand and said, "Let's go dance."

He led her out to the middle of the floor and nervously wrapped his arms around her waist. "What did McLaggen say?"

"Something stupid about how we should leave the dance and go back up to Common Room for . . . well you know. Thanks for the rescue."

". . . . Trinity?"

"Hmm?"

"I just want you to know, I . . . I'm not a very good dancer."

_Nice flake, you arse_, Ron thought to himself.

Trinity smiled. "It's okay. I'm not a very good dancer either. We'll just flop together."

A slow song came on then and Trinity rested her head against Ron's shoulder, resting her hands against his chest. He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, his heart pounding hard and fast in his chest.

A couple of hours later, though, the aching pain in his fast beating heart had disappeared and he was able to enjoy his time more with Trinity, dancing off beat to the music together and laughing about it.

"This will be the last song of the night, you witches and wizards out there," the DJ said. "So grab that special girl, fellows, and get ready for a slow one."

Ron held out his hand to Trinity and pulled her close when she took it. The lights dimmed down so that the stars in the enchanted ceiling were their main source of light.

Ron looked down at Trinity and realized that she was staring up at him. She smiled, embarrassed and looked away. He put a finger underneath her chin and lifted her face towards his. This was it. He was going to kiss her and she'd know how he felt about her.

Lights exploded and they both looked up, Ron slightly disappointed. Seems as if McGonagall wanted to end this dance with a bang, literally. Thousands of fireworks blasted against the enchanted ceiling, all sorts of colors and designs.

"It's beautiful," Trinity whispered.

"Yeah," Ron agreed looking back at Trinity.

Suddenly the fireworks stopped and the room was plunged into total darkness. Murmurs of "What's happening?" ran around the room. A single light came over the ceiling, tracing something in green.

The Dark Mark.

"It's an attack," Ron gasped.


	20. Chapter 20 Family

A mass panic started. Every single student, except for most Slytherin students, began to scream and run. Ron held on tightly to Trinity's hand as they were jostled through the crowd. Harry and Hermione were no where to be seen.

_This is it_, Trinity thought to herself. _This is when I die_.

As they were jostled out of the Great Hall, hallways became unrecognizable, all the pictures looked the same. Ron's hand was slipping out of hers and she tried to hang on.

"Don't let go, Trinity," he called to her, trying to get a better grip on her hand.

A hand grabbed her arm, pulling her backwards away from Ron. She called out his name and he called back. Trinity fell to the ground as students ran by her. She held her hands over her head, fearing the trampling feet.

All the students were gone, suddenly, leaving her lying face down in the middle of an unknown corridor. Part of her dress was torn and she was messing one shoe. Sitting up, she pulled off the other shoe and threw it. She couldn't move in high heels anyway.

Trinity stood, brushing dust and dirt from her dress. It was eerily silent in the corridor and cold. She wrapped her arms around her chest and started off after the crowd which had long since disappeared.

"Hello?" she called. Her voice echoed off the chilly walls.

She turned slightly, thinking she heard footsteps but the hallway was still empty. She was scaring herself. Every sound sounded like a footstep or some one's low breath.

"Hello?" she called again. This time, she had distinctively heard a footstep on the cobblestone ground. "Hello? Is someone there?"

There was a low chuckle before Trinity felt a tug in the small of her back that pulled her backwards, flying down the corridor until she hit a dead end, slumping to the ground.

Her head pounded and her vision blurred. She felt a trickle of blood slide down her forehead, trickling to the floor.

Footsteps approached her, slowly and deliberately. Trinity slowly pushed her self into sitting position, wiping the blood from her forehead. She reached up and touched the sore spot on her head.

"Told you we'd see each other outside of Hogwarts."

Trinity blinked a couple of times, her vision becoming clear. "No," she said. "But – I – You –"

Draco Malfoy approached her, his wand in his hand and an evil grin on his face. "Me."

Unshed tears stung Trinity's eyes and she blinked them away. "But – I thought we were – I thought you and I were –"

"What?" Draco said, kneeling in front of her and taking her chin in his hand. "A _family_? Ha! That's a good one. You never caught on once that I was using you. Maybe you are just as dimwitted as your father. Why on earth would I consider you, the daughter of a filthy, Mudblood and a blood traitor, family?"

Feeling angry now, Trinity spit at him, hawking one right into his face. He let go of her, wiping his face off angrily. "You'll do much better as a vessel for the Dark Lord's Horcrux than as a human being."

He stood up straight and pointed his wand at her. A second later, Trinity felt the air being sucked out of her lungs. She clutched at her throat, falling over again, gasping for the air that wasn't coming. She saw Draco's evil grin as her vision dulled again, black spots appearing in front of her eyes.

"_Expelliarmus_!"

The spell lifted and Trinity painfully sucked in a great gasp of air, coughing as she did so. Her chest hurt as she tried to breathe better. It still felt like someone was chocking her. She felt hands under her arms, pulling her to her feet and pulling her off out of the hallway. She glanced down and saw Draco knocked unconscious on the floor.

Ron pulled her around the corner, stopping her. "What did he do to you Trinity?" he said, wiping blood off her flushed face.

Trinity nodded. "We have to get out of here before he wakes up."

Trinity started off when Ron grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards him, capturing her lips with his. A chill ran up and down her spine as Ron wrapped his arms around her waist. When he stopped, she looked up at him, almost as breathless as when there had been a spell on her. "Wow," she gasped.

"Come on," Ron said, pulling her off again. She let him lead, still in shock from having been kissed, her first kiss really.

He led her into an empty classroom, locking the door behind them. He kissed her again, running his fingers up and down her back. She clutched onto the front of his dress robes, holding him closer to her. Ron moved back slightly, grabbing her hands and pressing his forehead against hers. "I want you to stay here," he whispered.

Trinity opened her eyes to look up into his. He was staring at her with so much love and worry, that for a minute, it was overwhelming but she let herself fall into it like a comforting embrace. "Ron, I—"

"Please, Trinity. If you -- if something were – I can't let you get hurt Trinity. . . . Please, stay in here, where you'll be safe."

He kissed her again. "I don't know what I did to deserve you," he whispered.

Tears slid down Trinity's face, falling onto their hands. She wasn't sure what she had done to deserve him. She had been rude and unresponsive when they first met and yet he still kept on, trying to help her when she refused it.

Ron lifted up her head with his finger and kissed her once again. "I'll come back for you, Trin, I promise. You just have to promise me that you'll stay in here."

Trinity hesitated before nodding slightly. Ron kissed her one last time and then ran out, his wand drawn.

Leaning against a table, Trinity waited a few moments before she left the room, unarmed but knowing what she had to do.

"I'm sorry Ron," she said softly, hurrying off in the same direction he had gone in.


	21. Chapter 21 Fair

Ron stood next to Hermione and Remus Lupin, his wand drawn and his heart pounding in his head. Voldemort was here. Voldemort was actually here standing in the hallway, his wand drawn against Order members and Harry.

Hermione tugged on his sleeve. "Where's Trinity?"

"Safe," he muttered back.

Looking back down the hall, he was glad he had left Trinity in that room. She'd have tried to stop all this, he knew she would. He just hoped he'd still be alive to go and get her.

He sent a wad of rope from his wand, tying up the nearest Death Eater and another, he shot with a Bat-Bogey Jinx.

Through the crowd of Death Eaters and Order Members, he could see Harry standing off with Voldemort, firing all the jinxes and hexes he could think of while Voldemort swiped them away with a flick of his wand.

And then he saw Trinity. . . .

Everything seemed to stop, though the battle still continued around him. He could see Voldemort's lips move, telling Harry to prepare for his last breath, raising his wand towards Harry's chest.

"_AVADA KEDAVRA_!!"

The spell was loud enough to shake Ron from his stupor. "Trinity," he gasped.

The green light shot from Voldemort's wand while Harry stood in shock, not knowing what to do. Trinity rushed forward. "Trinity!" Ron said, a little louder.

Ron watched in his horror as Trinity pushed Harry out of the way, knocking him to the floor. The spell hit her, tossing her back against the wall. "TRINITY!" Ron cried.

Everyone stopped, confused, watching as Trinity began to glow, green light coming from her eyes, mouth, and limbs. Her body convulsed and the green light shot at Voldemort, striking him in the chest. The impact caused a blinding light that washed through the hallway, covering all that stood watching, knocking them all to the floor.

It flooded back to Voldemort, hitting him with even more pain. Ron looked up from his place on the floor. Death Eaters were sprawled out on the floor, Order Members standing over them, conjuring ropes to hold them. Voldemort lay on the ground twenty or so feet away, clearly in pain, while Harry stood over him, his wand out, but his eyes were not on Voldemort. They were on. . . .

"_NO_!" Ron cried, scrambling to his feet. Remus and Hermione grabbed him from behind, holding him back while he screamed.

Trinity lay on the ground across from Voldemort, her eyes wide open and lifeless.

Ron heard Harry viciously mutter the killing spell at Voldemort before Remus and Hermione let him go. He rushed forward, his heart pounding in his ears. That same heart broke when he reached the girl he had come to care for. He dropped to his knees, pulling her up to his chest, cradling her in his arms. The tears fell, hard and unyielding, dropping onto Trinity's face.

Harry reached forward and closed Trinity's eyes gently before turning to comfort a sobbing Hermione. Remus came up behind Ron and placed a hand on his shoulder, but there was no comfort for Ron.

It wasn't fair, he'd just found her.

It wasn't fair at all.


	22. Chapter 22 MIracles

Trinity awoke in her old bedroom, the one she had used before her house was blown up. She felt warm and comfy in the covers and for a while, she laid there, thinking about the fact that she was dead. It wasn't so bad, if she got to come back here to her childhood home. And thinking back, she realized that it didn't hurt when that curse had hit her. It hadn't been a quick death, like people had said it was, but it didn't hurt at all.

Hearing familiar voices, she got up and ran the stairs, clutching onto the banister to keep from falling. Slowing down slightly, she tiptoed towards the kitchen, wondering if she would wake up suddenly, alone in a dark place.

Sitting at the kitchen was Taylor and Sirius Black, their fingers intertwined as the stared lovingly at each other across the table. Her mom looked the same as she had the last time she saw her but Sirius looked younger and healthier. He reached up and ran his fingers down the side of Taylor's face, a smile on both their faces.

Trinity fully stepped into the kitchen and both adults stood, hurrying forward to embrace their daughter. Trinity smiled as they hugged her. Wasn't this what she always wanted? A full family? A happy home? Then why did it feel like something was missing?

Her parents let go of her, both stepping back to look at her. Neither of them looked ecstatic to see her. Probably because it meant that she was dead.

"My baby," Taylor whispered as she cupped Trinity's face in her hands. "My beautiful little girl. You've grown up so much in this short amount of time."

"You did a brave thing, Trinity," Sirius said, running his fingers through Trinity's hair. "We've been keeping an eye on you obviously. You knew what would happen to you but, you went through with it anyhow. We're so proud of you."

"You don't look so happy though," Trinity said.

"We're happy to see you, sweetheart," Taylor said, "but we're not happy that you had to die to be able to see us again."

"We've talked to the Council, the Head Ghosts," Sirius said. "Or rather, they talked to us. . . . Come here, Trinity."

Sirius and Taylor led Trinity into the living room which was empty except for a mirror. The family walked over to stand in front of it, Sirius taking Trinity's hand as they did. He gently pressed her fingers against the glass and it rippled underneath her fingertips.

When the ripples cleared, Trinity could see the hallways of the castle. Order members were forcing Death Eaters to their feet, Apparating them out of the castle. McGonagall stood some feet away, but Trinity could distinctly see tears falling down her face as she looked upon Trinity's friends. Hermione sobbed against Harry's shoulder while his own tears dripped into her hair. Remus Lupin had his eyes covered with one hand while the other was on Ron's shoulder. Ron was still holding her body, staring off into the distance. Trinity touched the glass again and Ron's face filled the screen. Tears no longer fell from his eyes but Trinity recognized the look that was there. The empty, emotionless pits.

"No, Ron," she whispered to the screen. "Move on. Forget about me."

"It's not that easy," Taylor said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Though you may not cry as much anymore, you still never forgot us. You vowed not to feel emotion anymore."

But . . . Ron had brought back her smiles and her laughs with his own. "Don't lose your smiles, Ron. Not over me."

"There's a way you can help him," Sirius said.

Trinity turned to face them. "But how can I help him. _I'm_ the one who made him like this."

The two adults glanced at each other.

"The Council believes what you did was very honorable, Trinity," Taylor said. "You died for a cause. Yes, so have many others, but none so very young. And none of the others knew that they were gonna die. You did but you still sacrificed yourself for the greater good. And so, they want to reward you."

"Reward me?"

"They want to send you back," Sirius said. "That is, if you want to."

Trinity turned back to the mirror, to Ron. Here she was, in Limbo or whatever, with her mother and father, people who cared about her, her family, something she had been so longing for.

Taylor gently placed grabbed Trinity's shoulder, whispering into her ear from behind, "You'll always have people who care about you, Trinity. I mean, look at those people. Look at this boy. They miss you more than you'll ever realize. You have a _living_ family in these people, Trinity. Remus, Hermione, Harry, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley . . . Ron. You should be with them."

Trinity smiled at her mom, who smiled back. She looked and smiled at Sirius, who grinned and reached over to ruffle her hair. She hugged them both. "I love you guys."

"We love you too, Trin," Sirius said, kissing the top of her head.

* * *

**Ron's POV**

Remus reached to take Trinity away from Ron, but Ron held on tight. He felt dead inside and he realized that this was how Trinity must have felt when she lost her mother. He realized that this unbearable pain was what Trinity had been trying to avoid and yet she wasn't the one having to go through it.

He was mad at her at first. Mad at her for lying and leaving the room. But the anger didn't last long because he had known she wouldn't listen to him. She had saved tons of lives through her death. Witches, Wizards, and Muggles everywhere probably didn't know it yet, but they owed so much to this courageous girl.

But that didn't stop Ron from hurting. He was still slightly angry with her for leaving. He supposed he had hoped that if she had snuck out of the room, that some miracle would alter the damn prophecy and keep her alive while at the same time destroying Voldemort.

_But miracles don't often happen_, Ron thought to himself.

"Ron?" came Hermione's voice in his ear. "We – we have to take her to – to St. Mungo's."

Ron looked down at Trinity's lifeless form and wondered how long he had kept her to himself. He nodded slightly, thinking about how the first thing he'd ask McGonagall would be for a statue to be put somewhere in the castle in Trinity's honor. He didn't think she'd disagree.

Remus reached down to pick up Trinity and Ron started to lift her up but he stopped. . . .

"What was that?" he said.

"What?" Remus asked his voice weary and downtrodden.

"Her eyes fluttered. And I think I felt her breathe."

He glanced up just in time to see Remus, Harry, and Hermione exchange worried glances. "Ron, you're tired and upset –" Harry started.

"No, I swear!" Ron laid Trinity gently down on the floor and pressed his ear against her chest. "I can hear her heart!"

"Ron –" Hermione tried.

"Why don't you guys believe me?" Ron picked up his wand and conjured up a small piece of parchment, holding it over Trinity's mouth. "Watch!"

Everyone leaned forward slightly, still exchanging worried glances. But those glances changed into amazement when the parchment fluttered.

"She's still alive?" Remus gasped. "But – but how?"

Ron lifted Trinity up again, gently patting her cheeks. "Trinity? Trinity, can you hear me? Come on, Trin, please wake up."

She didn't move, though her eyes fluttered again. Ron leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Please wake up, Trin. Wake up for me, please."

He looked down when he felt her hand touch his for a moment. When he looked back at her face, she was squinting at him as if the effort to open her eyes was to much, but there was a small smile on her face. "My mom and dad say hi," she said in a hoarse whisper before she passed out again.

By then McGonagall had rushed forward, conjuring up a stretcher. Remus took Trinity gently into his arms and put her on the stretcher.

"We'll take her to St. Mungo's," McGonagall said. "They should be able to help her, but I have no clue how they are going to be able explain this once."

She and Remus Apparated with Trinity while Harry and Hermione lifted a stunned Ron to his feet.

"Did you do that?" Harry asked him, sounding just as surprised.

Ron shook his head, a broad smile on his face. "Nope. Trinity did it herself. Let's go."

Grabbing onto his friend's arms, they Apparated.


	23. Chapter 23 All of Forever

Ron lay next to Trinity in her hospital bed, gently running a finger up and down her arm.

McGonagall was right. None of the Healers could explain how someone who had been dead could suddenly wake up like everything was fine. They had only heard about this kind of thing, and that was only with Harry Potter. Only Trinity had a clue about what happened and from what she said when she woke up, she pretty much met her mom and dad wherever she went.

Now she was sleeping again, which she did a lot. Apparently, being unconscious for a week and a half makes you really tired. But Ron didn't mind. He was just glad to be able to tell her he'd still be there when she woke up.

Now that he knew that she was going to be okay, he couldn't even recall how much pain he had been in when he thought he'd never get to hear her laugh again, or see her magical smile, or stare into her gorgeous eyes.

She rolled over slightly and placed her hand on his stomach, nuzzling into him. He wrapped his arm around her as she opened her eyes, looking up at him. "Hi," she said, softly.

"Hi," he said, kissing her on the forehead.

"You know, you don't have to stay here with me."

"I know, but I want to."

* * *

"You don't have to read to me, Ron, I know you hate the book."

Ron smiled down her, closing _Hogwarts, A History_. "Yeah, but you like the book, so I don't mind."

Trinity took the book from him and set it on the bedside table. "There must be something we can do that's better than reading."

"I know something we can do."

"Oh really? What do you have in mind?"

Ron pulled her closer to him, pressing his lips against her. She smiled against his lips, kissing him back. He gently put his forehead against her. "I really don't know what I did to deserve you," he said.

"You know, I've been thinking about that," Trinity said. "And I think since Voldemort is gone now, and we did so much work to get rid of him, that we deserve to be happy. And since you make me happy and I make you happy, then that must mean we deserve each other."

"And I think that makes perfect sense. And now have all of forever to make each other happy."

He went to kiss her again when the door to her room opened and Harry, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys came into the room. Both teens moved slightly apart, slightly embarrassed that their friends and family had almost walked into their snog fest.

They opened up food and snacks, looking ready to have a good little party. Trinity glanced at Ron who was still looking at her, a loving look in his eyes.

"I love you," she mouthed to him, surprising herself in the process.

He grinned and mouthed back, "I love you too."

She smiled back at him. He was right, she knew. They did have all of forever to make each other happy. And if she had anything to say about it, she would use all of that forever.


End file.
